line-ups

FC Viktoria Plzeň

Wiegele – Memić (46. Boháč), Krčík, Dweh, Doski – Červ (46. Pirgić), Hrošovský (C) – Sojka, Ladra (81. Faal), Višinský (46. Kabongo) – Lawal (46. M. Vydra).

FC Slovan Liberec

Koubek (C) – Koželuh (62. Mikula), Drakpe, Hůlka, Kayondo – Stránský (75. Faye), Masopust – Dulay, Kušej (86. Letenay), Hodouš (62. Soliu) – L. Mašek (75. Krollis).

statistics

Goals: 51. Krčík (pen.) – 27. Ladra (vla.), 76. Soliu (Dulay), 90+5. Dulay

Yellow cards: 55. M. Vydra (PLZ), 82. Boháč (PLZ) – 44. Koželuh (LIB), 47. Hodouš (LIB), 74. Masopust (LIB), 79. Krollis (LIB), 90. Dulay (LIB)

Referees: Rouček – Machač, Kotalík.

Shots on goal: 1:10

Shots off target: 3:9

Corners: 5:4

Offside: 2:1

Fouls: 12:17

Attendance: 10068

The opening league match of the new season at Doosan Arena provided an entertaining contest. Viktoria came back after the break through Dávid Krčík´s equaliser, but Liberec struck twice more to secure all three points.

The new league season got underway with Viktoria hosting Slovan Liberec. The first big chance came early on when, after a pass from Patrik Hrošovský, Memić found himself through on goal, but his finish narrowly missed the target. At the other end, Florian Wiegele made his first save of the match in the 6th minute, dealing comfortably with the visitors' effort. A minute later, Tomáš Ladra attempted a cross that was deflected behind for a corner. Viktoria enjoyed the better start and won several set pieces, but none of them seriously tested goalkeeper Koubek. In the 20th minute, Doski accidentally struck Lukáš Červ with the ball while trying to play out from the back, gifting Liberec a promising opportunity. The visitors, however, failed to make the most of it. Two minutes later they threatened again, but their shot flew well over the bar.

In the 26th minute, a long ball over the Viktoria defence found its way through. Sampson Dweh failed to spot the forward making a run behind him, but Florian Wiegele came to the rescue with an excellent save. From the resulting corner, however, Liberec took the lead as Lukáš Hůlka headed home. Buoyed by the goal, the visitors became increasingly dangerous. Soon after, Memić tracked back brilliantly to stop another promising Liberec attack. Viktoria searched for an equaliser but struggled to create a clear-cut chance. Before the break, Liberec threatened twice more. First, a shot drifted wide before Vasil Kušej tested Wiegele from a tight angle. The Viktoria goalkeeper was alert, but the home side still went into halftime trailing by one goal.

Viktoria came out for the second half with much greater intensity and found the equaliser in the 52nd minute. After the referee awarded a penalty, Dávid Krčík stepped up and calmly converted from the spot. Stefan Pirgić and Sebastian Boháč also made their competitive debuts for Viktoria. The home side continued to increase the pressure after the break, pinning Liberec back for long spells. The visitors defended resolutely while looking to strike on the counterattack, though Viktoria's defence dealt with most of those situations well. In the 72nd minute, Viktoria came agonisingly close to taking the lead when Christophe Kabongo met a pinpoint cross from Tomáš Ladra, only to see his header come back off the post. A few minutes later, however, Liberec struck again. Afolabi Soliu finished from close range to restore the visitors' advantage. In the 80th minute, Baboucarr Faal also made his competitive debut for Viktoria. Deep into stoppage time, Dulay sealed the result by scoring from the rebound after Florian Wiegele's save. Viktoria therefore began the new league campaign with a home defeat.

Highlights

Photogallery